NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale men's soccer team opened the
season against UConn and Fairfield, two teams that are regulars on
the schedule. This weekend the Bulldogs will face some less
familiar opposition at the Brown Classic. Yale meets Hofstra on
Friday at 5 p.m. and South Carolina on Sunday at noon. Both games
are at Brown's Stevenson Field.

The Bulldogs (0-2) are coming off a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime
loss to Fairfield on Tuesday. Andy
Shorten scored his second goal of the season to give
Yale a 1-0 lead, but the Stags tied it midway through the second
half and then got the game-winner in the second overtime period.
The Bulldogs had a couple of good chances to win in the first extra
session. Peter
Jacobson accepted a pass from Shorten on the left side
and put a shot toward the lower right corner, but Fairfield
goalkeeper Michael O'Keeffe dove and made the stop. A minute later,
Shorten ran toward a loose ball in the box, but O'Keeffe won the
race and cradled the ball before the Yale forward could get off a
clean shot.

Like Yale, Hofstra is a young team. The Pride (1-2) has 13
freshmen on its roster, five of whom started the game against Iona.
Mike Annarumma and Brett Carrington have scored goals for Hofstra.
Junior goalkeeper Greg Cumpstone is already tied for third in
school history with 11 career shutouts. The Pride is coached by
Richard Nuttall, who is in his 22nd season and has won 193
games.

Yale and Hofstra are playing for the first time since 2002, a
1-0 Pride victory.

The Bulldogs are playing South Carolina, one of the premier
programs in the nation, for the first time. The Gamecocks, who play
Brown on Friday, have made 18 NCAA Tournament appearances since
1978. Mark Berson, one of 11 Division I coaches with at least 400
victories, is in his 33rd season at the helm. South Carolina (2-1)
is coming off a 2-0 victory over Clemson last Friday.